The Woods ✔

An Early Honeymoon

Ajax' house was the last one on the right side of a suburban street. It was too early for it but Caden could picture the whole neighborhood full of kids who were running around, squealing and laughing lightheartedly. Now there were only the first signs of another school day and some lone birds were picking around on the lawns. 

The grass seemed to be everywhere exactly the same length except in Ajax' yard. There were probably just a few inches difference but Caden assumed that the other men here were looking at Ajax strangely because of that. Furthermore there were no flowers or other junk people seemingly collected with a passion.

Ajax parked in front of the garage and Caden watched him intently as he went around the truck's hood to open the passenger door. His smooth movements proofed how much the animal was controlling him right now.

"I can walk my-" The lion ignored the protest and carried him to the front door. Caden let him and inhaled his musky scent. Manly and fresh like a crystal-clear tarn high up in the mountains that no human had seen ever before.

He didn't see much of the interior because his face was buried in the crook of Ajax' neck and he had his eyes closed to embed the heavenly scent in his mind. A low whine came out of his throat when Ajax tried to free himself from Caden's limbs however he was quick to reassure him with a tender caress of his back.

"I promised you food," he reminded him amused and Caden begrudgingly let go so Ajax could lower him onto the stool at the breakfast bar. Caden didn't mention how much he wanted to keep touching Ajax or how his whole body yearned to feel this dizzying heat again.

It was warm enough to stay naked - Caden was glad about it because it meant that he could ogle the man some more - and Ajax immediately went about preparing the meal. Caden shifted on his seat to ease some of the low simmering heat in his groin.

Ajax made something between breakfast and lunch and judging by the amount of it, dinner, too. Caden was nearly full by the time the man took a plate out of the cabinet because of all the little tastes Ajax had fed him with. Being fed by him was another totally new experience that left Caden lightheaded. There was something very intimate about the act of getting offered some precious food and slowly devouring it while accidentally licking the fingers, too.  Perhaps it was something only shifters understood but feeding each other played a big role in any relationship since it meant trusting and taking care of each other.

"You want me to eat all of this?" Caden exclaimed shocked when Ajax set the plate down in front of him. It was so full that he barely could make out the dishware underneath all the food and it was kind of intimidating.

"You're so skinny," Ajax grumbled however there was a tint of worry in his voice.

"I'm not skinny, I'm lean," Caden defended his stature. The lion raised his eyebrows and looked him up and down.

"No, you're skinny," He patted his own stomach, a very nice set of abs Caden really wanted to touch. "that's lean."

"You're a lion, that's cheating," Caden accused and Ajax scrunched up his nose cutely in confusion.

"Why would that be cheating?"

"Lions are bigger than cougars," Caden pointed out and Ajax bit his lip - an extremely tempting sight but presumably only an attempt to keep himself from laughing. Caden stuffed a fork full of food in his mouth and glared at the lion.

Ajax' gaze softened and he wrapped his arms around Caden's shoulders, pecking him on the cheek. He grinned triumphantly while munching contently on some French toast Ajax really had made perfectly. The other food looked delicious, too, but it changed nothing about his opinion that there was no way he would be able to eat all of it.

"I like being bigger than you," Ajax admitted quietly. "I can protect you better."

Caden nuzzled against Ajax appreciatively and gave a low purr. "My big, strong lion," he mumbled fondly.

They ate mostly in silence afterwards. Ajax finally took pity on Caden and got his own fork so they could share the mountain of food. Their thighs were pressed closely together, their hands were searching constantly for more bare skin to touch and their eyes locked every few seconds to transmit silent messages of admiration and wonderment. Both of them didn't know what was happening with them or how they should handle the foreign situation neither of them had been faced with before. Suddenly there were these urges and desires confusing them immensely while at the same time they tried to fight them down individually and wondered if the other one felt them, too. It made Caden feel like a clumsy cub all over again.

Ajax placed the dirty dishes in the sink and Caden hopped down from the bar stool, his overly full stomach weighing him down. He hoped he wasn't supposed to eat a similar amount for dinner, heck, he would survive just fine without food for the next three days.

His back popped when he stretched with a lazy groan. Ajax drew him closer with his hands on Caden's hips and slowly trailed his nose up his neck, making him shiver pleasantly in the process.

"You smell divine," he whispered before playfully nipping at his collarbone. Caden retaliated with a light bite to Ajax' neck.

Okay, so perhaps there was some kinky biting going on even outside of the bedroom.

They wandered into the living room that was by now flooded with light. Some books were scattered on a low table in front of the spacious sofa, most of them read judging by their condition. However Caden had no desire to look at them, too absorbed by the tingling trail Ajax left with every feathery touch on his body.

They ended up on the sofa with their legs tangled and their chests pressed together so their faces were so close their noses nearly touched. Caden was entranced by those bright green eyes that were studying him like he was something so damn precious and rare they couldn't believe he was in front of them. Maybe his human body was not as bad as he had thought.

For a whole eternity they just breathed while their bodies melted against each other and they got used to the other's heartbeat, a steady and calm thumping in the otherwise silent house. Caden felt at peace and like he finally belonged somewhere. His place was right here, safely tucked against Ajax' chest and a pair of strong arms wrapped around his upper body while his feet lazily played with those of the lion.

And for once, despite being happy, he didn't think about Michael. He didn't think that the bear deserved to experience this moment, too, because it was solely his moment. And he knew that Michael would understand it and would actually be happy for him. It was his time to be happy, to grant himself some relief from the dark pit in his chest.

In a moment of bold bravery, he closed the distance between them and shyly licked at Ajax' lips.